The Ogun State Government has suspended the principals of Ilugun High School, Elega, Abeokuta, following the death of a student linked to the school.
The suspended officials are Mrs. Olukoga Alaba, principal of the junior school, and Mrs. Olabisi Ladipo, principal of the senior school.
The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, announced the suspension at a press conference in Abeokuta on Tuesday.
Arigbabu said the action followed a viral video showing students vandalising school property after a protest allegedly triggered by the collection of illegal fees.
He explained that preliminary investigations revealed that the deceased student could not be verified as a bona fide enrollee of the school.
“The young man who lost his life was identified by three different names: Babalola Ayomide, Salako Jimoh, and Afolabi Babalola. None of these names appear in our official state education database, the OGSERA platform, which authenticates all school enrolments. This points to the likelihood of an illegal enrolment,” the commissioner said.
He added that the junior school principal was implicated in the collection of illegal fees, which sparked the students’ protest before it degenerated into chaos.
“First, let me, on behalf of the state government, express our deepest condolences to the parents and family of the deceased. We feel their pain and our prayers are with them at this difficult time,” Arigbabu said.
The commissioner stated that the government had launched a full investigation into the incident to determine both the immediate and remote causes.
He also disclosed that a whistleblower scheme had been introduced through the Teaching Service Commission to expose illegalities and misconduct in schools.
According to him, the state remains committed to providing free education to all school-age children, irrespective of location, gender, economic background, religion, or political affiliation.
